Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 13/05) - A Hay River man, who ran an elaborate crack-cocaine operation from a fortified house, will be sentenced today in Yellowknife.

Neil Woledge, 62, protected his stash of drugs with re-enforced doors, a three-camera video surveillance system and more than a dozen weapons - including a loaded shotgun, a court heard Thursday.

Woledge was convicted May 26 of possession of crack-cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, following a trial in Hay River. Thursday in Yellowknife, lawyers argued over the appropriate sentence for Woledge - a former heavy duty mechanic who is married and has two adolescent daughters.

"(The security measures) were indicative of a degree of planning and deliberation," said Crown Attorney Shelly Tkatch. "(He was) protecting his drug enterprise."

Tkatch asked Supreme Court Justice Virginia Schuler to impose a prison term of four to five years.

Defence lawyer Hugh Latimer bristled at that suggestion and recommended Woledge be given a conditional sentence, which would allow him to serve the time under house arrest.

Woledge was arrested in the early morning hours of July 8, 2004, after police stormed his house to execute a warrant Tkatch described as "high risk."

An officer tried, unsuccessfully, to break down the re-enforced front door with an axe. When Woledge heard the noise, he opened an inner door but ignored orders from police to surrender, the court heard.

He closed the door and retreated into the house, where he picked up a loaded shotgun.

The two officers eventually smashed in the front door with a sledgehammer and cautiously made their way into the house, Tkatch said.

Seconds later, Woledge walked towards the officers holding the shotgun. The officers pointed their sidearms at Woledge and ordered him to drop to the ground.

"They were at the point just shy of firing their weapons," Tkatch said. Woledge eventually laid the weapon down and surrendered to police without shots being fired. "There could have easily been a much more tragic end," Tkatch said.

Police frisked Woledge and found 2 grams of crack-cocaine in his pocket, along with $875 in cash. The drugs were parcelled into five individual packages.

While police did not find any other drugs in the house, they discovered a host of crack pipes, satellite phones and knives - materials they said were used for trafficking.

Officers also found three outside surveillance cameras linked to a video monitor in the bedroom. The cameras provided live feeds from the front door and other places.

Fourteen weapons were seized from the home, including another loaded shotgun, from the bedroom. Woledge, who appeared in court Thursday, apologized for the confrontation and said crack-cocaine had really "messed up" his life.

"I lost all of my toys (like) my boat. I'm done with that part of my life," said Woledge, while his wife and two young daughters wept in the back of the courtroom. "I realize what I have done."

Schuler is expected to announce her decision on a sentence Monday morning.